Salton Sea

Audubon California is helping shape the future of this remarkable place for birds.

White Pelicans at the Salton Sea. Photo: Robin L

American Avocet at the Salton Sea. Photo: Vijay_SRV

The Salton Sea is one of the most important places for birds in North America and is in danger of losing its ecological value. If it does, we will lose a vital part of the Pacific Flyway and face a toxic dust bowl that will threaten public health for more than a million Californians.

As part of the Colorado River Delta, the sea filled and dried for thousands of years prior to its current, 35-mile-long incarnation, which came into existence as the result of a massive flood of the Colorado River in 1905. The 350-square-mile sea has partially replaced wetland habitat lost to agricultural and urban conversion in the Colorado River Delta, California’s coast, and the San Joaquin Valley.

The sea is a globally significant Important Bird Area. For more than a century, the sea has served as a major nesting, wintering, and stopover site for millions of birds of more than 400 species. Today, tiny Eared Grebes winter by the thousands in rafts far out on its surface. American White Pelicans roost on mudflats and fish for tilapia in its shallows.

Recently, its water level dropped to the point that colonial seabirds began abandoning nesting sites en masse in 2013, and shallow, marshy habitat areas at the sea’s edge have begun to rapidly vanish, particularly at the south end. And in 2017, inputs of Colorado River water that have been maintaining a minimum sea level are scheduled to end, as more water is transferred from local agricultural uses to urban uses on the coast. As less water flows into the sea, it will shrink considerably, becoming more saline and eventually inhospitable to birds, fish, and insects.

Audubon California has the opportunity to help address some of the immense challenges of the Salton Sea.

The August 3, 2018 episode of Go Green Radio featured a conversation with Jones and Michael Cohen from the Pacific Institute about the Salton Sea and implications for public health and migratory birds if the state of California does not accelerate progress on the implementation of projects to reduce dust and stave off environmental degradation.

“The clock is ticking for the people—and the birds as well,” says Frank Ruiz, Audubon California's Salton Sea Program Director in this article from NRDC. The article takes a look at the issues at the Sea facing birds and people today and the partnerships between organizations, including Audubon that are working to address the challenges at the Sea.

The article also quotes Andrea Jones, Audubon California's Director of Bird Conservation. “Three iconic birds that have used the Salton Sea in large numbers—the American avocet, the eared grebe, and the American white pelican—have all seen significant declines,” says Jones.

Great article from the The Western Hemispher Reserve Shorebird Network about the need for action at the Salton Sea with some input from Audubon California's, Andrea Jones. Check out the story here.

Posted by on June 27, 2018

Our own Andrea Jones stopped by the Red Hill Bay restoration project at the Salton Sea day before yesterday. Doesn't look much like bird habitat at the moment, but our fingers are crossed that this will soon be replaced by much-needed wetland habitat.

The Los Angeles Times has a strong story out today about how patience is running out for the state to make good on its promises at the Salton Sea:

Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia watched with ill-disguised frustration as a hearing aimed at expediting state projects to restore habitat and control dust storms at the shrinking Salton Sea instead dissolved into discussion of why the efforts were falling further behind schedule.

"We have a plan, we have money, there is additional money lined up, and we have a constituency — myself included — that is running out of patience," Garcia (D-Coachella), chairman of the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, said.